Quantum dots are provided in many semiconductor devices, for example they are found in single photon sources both electrically an optically driven sources, quantum memory registers and quantum detectors. Recently quantum dot based devices are being used for conventional lighting units due to their ability to produce radiation over a range of frequencies.
A popular technique for the formation of quantum dots in semiconductor devices is to form a few monolayers of one material on another material with a different lattice constant. A particularly popular material system is InAs quantum dots on a GaAs layer.